Ian Ganly, MD, PhD

In addition to traditional, open surgery, Dr. Ganly has a special interest in minimally invasive surgery. One area of expertise is using transoral endoscopic laser surgery to remove tumors of the larynx and pharynx. This type of surgery is performed through an endoscope inserted in a patient’s mouth; the tumor is then removed using a special laser. This technique has several advantages over traditional open surgery. It involves no incisions on the neck, meaning that speech and swallowing function are preserved. In many cases these procedures can be done as an outpatient.

Recently Dr. Ganly developed minimally invasive video assisted thyroid (MIVAT) and parathyroid surgery (MIVAP) after spending time training with Professor Paulo Miccoli in Pisa, Italy. In this operation the thyroid gland is removed through a small skin incision (1.5cm) with the assistance of endoscopic techniques. This operation is perfectly suited for patients with small thyroid nodules or cancers. It is also perfect for the removal of parathyroid adenomas in patients with hyperparathyroidism.

Dr. Ganly is also interested in head and neck cancer research, and his dedicated three years of full-time head and neck cancer laboratory research resulted in his earning a PhD degree in 1999. He has two principal areas of research: a) molecular therapeutics, which involves developing new therapies/agents which selectively kill cancer cells but not normal cells; b) gene expression profiling, which involves identification of genes which predict a poor outcome, so that patients who have these genes can be targeted for more-aggressive treatments to cure their cancer.

His interest in both surgery and research was recognized by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center with the conferring of the prestigious Michael E. Burt Fellow of the Year award in 2004 for outstanding surgical excellence. Dr. Ganly’s award, granted by the surgical staff at Memorial Hospital, resulted from competitive consideration of more than 60 outstanding fellows in surgery.

Dr. Ganly has published more than 30 scientific articles and written several book chapters in the field of head and neck cancer. He has presented at more than 40 national and international meetings and is an active reviewer for several journals, including Head and Neck, Clinical Otolaryngology, Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and Surgical Oncology.